East Bay Thanksgiving Fungi, Dryness on the Peninsula

Late post, but I did some fairly fruitful fungal exploring in the East Bay over the Thanksgiving weekend. Deathcaps were blooming everywhere, especially in Anthony Chabot, and I found what I think was my first East Bay Stropharia. I was also trying to pay more attention to the lichens, especially in Huckleberry, where there seems to be a great diversity growing on the oaks and manzanitas along the higher trails. Still at the very beginning of learning anything about lichens though.

Went across the bay to El Corte Madera and Wunderlich on Sunday, figuring if the East Bay was fairly wet, the peninsula should be soaking. So wrong. Both were bone dry, with very little in the way of fungi. El Corte Madera had some beautiful, huge tanoak stands that seemed perfect for a variety of fungi, but it was so dry there wasn't really much in profusion. We did manage to find garlic mushrooms, though, which was a treat. Their smell is so intense! Wunderlich was even sparser, mostly just old deathcaps.

Posted on Δεκέμβριος 06, 2009 0210 ΠΜ by kueda